Hot Issue: Sports Betting

The United States’ approach to sports betting lags behind Europe and other countries that effectively regulate a legal market. Today, at least $150 billion a year is wagered illegally on sports betting in the United States, and a report released in September of 2016 concluded that, “rather than setting the standard, the United States is on par with Russia and China, having forced a groundswell of black-market gambling by prohibiting the popular pastime of sports betting.”

The casino gaming industry is building a broad coalition in support of repealing the nearly 25-year-old federal prohibition and giving states the opportunity to offer sports betting if they so choose. This position is shared by law enforcement stakeholders, the U.S. Conference of Mayors and National Council of State Legislatures.